When Navigation Fails Having a Backup Map and Compass Will Keep You Moving

TEXT AND IMAGES BY RYAN LEE PRICE

Knowing the proper way to orient and read a map and compass can literally mean the difference between life and death.

(photo credit: Daniil Silantev-Upsplash)

Described by one off-road enthusiast as being “in dreadful condition,” the Morrison Jeep Trail rises sharply up the precipices overlooking Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River north of Cody, Wyoming. Though not as treacherous as the Fordyce Creek Trail in Truckee, California, nor as technical as the famed Rubicon nearby, the Morrison Trail features 27 very tight switchbacks on the main ascent to the top of Beartooth Plateau. There are breathtaking views of Sugarloaf Mountain to the west, Bald Peak across the river to the east and White Mountain to the south.

What’s special about the Morrison Jeep Trail is that it has the distinction of not being on your rig’s navigation. In-car navigation systems are great as long as there are roads and cardinal directions to keep you pointed in the right way (and you have it updated regularly), but as soon as your wheels roll off of the map, your navigation system is just a pretty green picture providing no help except to point north. But what if that stops working? What happens if your vehicle’s battery stops working or your phone goes dead?